Three Israeli soldiers were killed in an attack near Egypt’s border after a gunman wearing an Egyptian police uniform opened fire.
The Israeli military said an Egyptian policeman shot and killed two soldiers while they secured a military post at the Egyptian border early on Saturday. It said the Egyptian officer and a third Israeli soldier were killed in a confrontation inside Israeli territory hours later.
The Egyptian military said an Egyptian border guard crossed the border security barrier and exchanged fire with Israeli forces while he was chasing drug traffickers.
“A member of the security forces … chased drug smugglers. During the chase the security agent crossed the security fence [border]” and a gun battle ensued, a statement said.
The incident took place near the Nitzana and Al-Awja border crossing between Israel and Egypt, 40km (25 miles) southeast of the point where Israel’s border with Egypt and the Gaza Strip converge. It is used to import goods from Egypt destined for Israel or the Gaza Strip.
Two of the soldiers were found dead at an Israeli military post after they failed to respond to their radios. The Israeli army said one of the killed soldiers was a woman. A fourth soldier was lightly wounded and evacuated to a hospital.
Post from www.aljazeera.com